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 By Hot water:
Immersing a piece in very hot water for 30 seconds or rubbing a piece vigorously with
your thumb until it gets really hot will allow Bakelite to give off its characteristic musty
phenol odour, which can be useful if you have become experienced in recognising the
smell, which has been described as a sickly sweet or resin smell.
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 By feel and sound:
Bakelite is quite heavy and you will soon get a sense of how it feels. Highly
polished pieces feel waxy and slippery, whereas if they have been stripped of
their polish pieces can feel slightly abrasive.

Bangles (made of bakeltite) apparently have a deep bamboo type sound when
it is clunked together, whereas other plastics sound higher pitched and more
brittle.

 Bakelite Test with Simichrome or Formula 409

Many pieces will test with “Simichrome” polish or Formula 409 which turns from
pink to yellow on reacting with the chemicals in Bakelite.However, old wax or polish
on the pieces will prevent a positive Bakelite test, as will overdying. Some colours
will frequently not react either, such as black and many reds.

Bakelite Colours and Appearance

 Bakelite comes in deep rich colours, from mustard, caramel, reds, oranges and greens,
through to tortoiseshell, burgundy and black. Transparent and marbled colours are also
common, and "end of day" pieces were made from a mixture of colours mixed together at
the end of the day and these can be particularly collectable.

You will NEVER see a White Piece of Bakelite!

 Tapping Items Together:

One way to start learning about Bakelite identification is listening for the familiar
"clunk" when two pieces you know to be Bakelite are tapped together. This very
distinctive sound is often heard when two or more bangles made of this popular
plastic are worn at the same time. Try gently tapping two pieces of another type of
plastic together, and compare the sound to two pieces of true Bakelite

 Identifying by Weight:
Consider the weight of a piece of plastic jewelry. Bakelite feels heavier when compared to
some other types of plastics, like celluloid as one example. Hold another type of plastic
you have identified in one hand, and a piece you know to be Bakelite of approximately the
same size in the other. You will often notice the heavier feel of Bakelite.

 Smell test:

Rub the item in question vigorously with your thumb until you feel the plastic
heat up. Then, before it cools, take a whiff. A distinct chemical odor similar to
formaldehyde will linger with most genuine Bakelite.

 Using Simichrome Polish:

 Simichrome Polish is a non-abrasive cream formulated to clean metals. You
can also use it to test Bakelite for authenticity, and this is the preferred method
for many plastics collectors (although others prefer the hot water test
mentioned above).
 To test with Simichrome, sparingly apply a dab of the cream to a soft cloth and
gently rub a small spot on the inside or back of the item being tested. If it is
Bakelite, the cloth should turn yellow with ease (although the color may vary
from light to dark). If a piece is lacquered, it may test negative. Black Bakelite
pieces often fail this test as well. Following up with the hot water test when you
get home is an option to consider.
 Bakelite testing pads are also an alternative to carrying a tube of
Simichrome polish with you when you shop. These easy-to-stow pads
provide a similar result to Simichrome or the 409 method mentioned
below, and have proven to be quite reliable.
 Using Formula 409 Cleaner
Scrubbing Bubbles was once the standard cleaner to use for Bakelite testing, but
Formula 409 is now recommended instead. To use, dampen a cotton swab with 409
and rub it gently on the inside of the item being tested. If it is Bakelite, the swab will
turn yellow.

If a piece is lacquered, it may test negative with 409. Black Bakelite pieces often fail
this test as well. Use the other tests above, especially the hot water test, to confirm
authenticity if a piece you strongly suspect to be Bakelite fails with 409.

 Inspect the Piece Closely (visual testing):

 Look for wear like scratches and patina that new pieces of plastic don't normally
exhibit. Also, look for tiny chips on the edges of carvings. Examine the piece
with a jeweler's loupe or another type of magnifier, if needed. Generally, an old
piece of Bakelite will exhibit some minor scratching and wear, even though it is
in excellent condition by a collector's standards and may be quite valuable.
 Also, keep in mind that Bakelite will not have mold seams that can be present
in other types of plastic jewelry. With some practice, you'll learn to use all your
senses to correctly identify Bakelite.

Chemical Testing to Spot Fake Bakelite:

Chemical testing is a process to detect the presence of certain chemicals present
in Bakelite, such as formaldehyde. Over time Bakelite develops a patina, much
like metal does. The unique chemicals used to make Bakelite interact with the
environment (sun, perfumes, lotions, etc.). Which over time changes and darken
the surface color.

This patina contains traces of formaldehyde and other chemicals unique to

Bakelite. So what you are really testing is the patina, not the Bakelite itself. This
means that newly made, or refinished, Bakelite will not give you a positive
chemical test.

While there are several fairly common products that others recommend for
chemically testing Bakelite I only use Simichrome Metal Polish. Simichrome is a
pink polish designed for cleaning metals of all types. But when you put a small
amount on a Q-tip or paper towel and swipe your piece of Bakelite it will leave a
nicotine yellow (brownish yellow) stain on the testing material (not on the
Bakelite).

This is a reliable indicator that the patina of the piece contains the chemicals
unique to Bakelite. Other plastics such as Lucite, celluloid or modern resins will
not leave any color on your swab or paper towel.
While some people use Scrubbing Bubbles or 409 Cleaner to do a chemical test
for Bakelite. I find that these substances can dull the surface where they have
been applied. Simichrome, on the other hand, will not harm Bakelite and can
even safely clean dirty Bakelite pieceVisual Testing to Spot Fake Bakelite
One of the problems with chemical testing regards testing at the marketplace.
You will find some sellers will allow you to test a piece of Bakelite. Or will even
offer to test it for you. Still, others will feel you are questioning their
expertise. While not allowing you to test.

 Until you’ve handled a lot of Bakelite and feel experienced in the areas of
visual, sound and feel testing, I would avoid purchasing from dealers who
do not allow testing. So now we move on to the large number of ways that
you can visually authenticate a piece of Bakelite jewelry.
Routes of manufacture of product on industrial scale:
1. Compression molding:
Moulded bakelite form in a condensation reaction of phenol and
formaldehyde, with wood flour or asbestos fibre as a filler, under high pressure
and heat in a time frame of a few minutes of curing. This results in a hard plastic
material. Bakelite moulding process has a number of advantages. Bakelite
resin could be provided either as powder, or as performed partially cured
slugs, increasing the speed of the casting. Also, because of the smooth polished
surface that resulted, bakelite objects require less finishing.

2. Phenolic Sheet:
Another market for bakelite resin was the creation of phenolic sheet materials.
Phenolic sheet is a hard, dense material made by applying heat and pressure
to layers of paper or glass cloth impregnated with synthetic resin. Paper,
cotton fabrics, synthetic fabrics, glass fabrics and unwoven fabrics are all
possible materials used in lamination. When heat and pressure are applied,
polymerization transforms the layers into thermosetting industrial laminated
plastic.
Bakelite phenolic sheet is produced in many commercial grades and with
various additives to meet diverse mechanical, electrical and thermal
requirements.

3. Production of bakelite powder from straw powder:

This is a production process of phenol-formaldehyde bakelite powder from

straw powder instead of wood powder. The process is as below: resin, a filler,
a curing agent, a curing accelerant, a lubricant and a coloring agent are
prepared conventionally. The filler uses straws after crops harvest; the straws
are crushed into 80 mesh powder to replace part of the routine of wood
powder; and the replacement amount is 13-17% of routine wood powder. 28
wt.% of phenolic resin, 49wt.% of wood powder, 8 wt.% of straw powder, 10
wt.% of curing agent, 1 wt.% of curing accelerator, 1 wt.% of lubricant and 3
wt.% of coloring agent are sent into a mixing machine for heating and mixing.
The invention uses straw powder to replace part of
the wood powder for the production of phenol-
formaldehyde bakelite powder; the price of
straw powder is nearly half cheaper than the
wood powder; because of the good gloss, the
straw powder has good adhesive properties than
ordinary wood powder, and can reduce the
usage amount of resin; the resin consumption per
ton of product is about 25 kg less than the usage of
all wood powder, so as to save the cost by 250 yuan
per ton. The product has good gloss, better toughness
and better quality, and can turn wastes into
treasures and solve the problem of air pollution
caused by straw burning.